Famine in the land!

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land–not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.” Amos 8:11-12

We are so blessed in America! We have nearly 360,000 churches across our land. In our city of Owensboro and surrounding area, there are nearly 200 churches to choose from for a population of about 110,000. About 12-15% of those attend a church each week, a high number compared with other parts of our nation. We have services broadcast on television, cable, internet, and radio each day of the week. Christians should be out in the community sharing their faith and the word of the Lord each day. Access to Bibles is not restricted here either, and, indeed, most households have more than one.

Amos lived and ministered among a people who were religious and went to church each Sabbath day to hear God’s word! They had prophets who spoke to them regularly. To come into the adult world of that day, children had to memorize the Books of Moses before their thirteenth birthday. How can a person or people have the word of the Lord and still have a famine?

When we ignore the Lord Himself and disrespect the light that we have from Him, we go into darkness that is deeper than before! These people had the truth and willfully rejected it! This brought God’s wrath and judgment on them. This should be a strong warning to us today in America! To whom much has been given, much will be required!

God’s mercy was evident even in the dire prophetic writings of the prophet Amos. (Amos 9:8-10) God promised restoration after the shaking of judgment. He promised to restore the nation again and plant them in the land that He gave to them. (Amos 9:11-15) God’s goodness to a stubborn people is amazing! It should draw us to repentance and faithful love again! (Romans 2:4) Take advantage of the blessing of having God’s word as your living bread! Eat and be satisfied!